Morning all, right here’s a fast Saturday round-up for you.
Staff information and many others forward of Chelsea can wait till we preview the sport in tomorrow’s weblog, however there was a quick replace on a few of the gamers in Mikel Arteta’s press convention yesterday. There was additionally a bit within the presser about Martin Odegaard doubtlessly becoming a member of up with Norway for the Interlull.
At first, I interpreted this because the captain of his nation simply going alongside together with his teammates, however the reporting seems to be based mostly round the concept that he may play. Arteta mentioned yesterday:
Let’s see how he goes, how he trains tomorrow. He’s out there, he’s match, if he does play it’s about how he’s feeling after that, after which we’ll make the choice between the three events.
On the one hand, you possibly can see the way it is perhaps helpful for us by way of him regaining some match health. On the opposite, I can’t assist really feel it’s a bit mad that after such a very long time out, he’d be allowed go. Maybe, as we did with Thomas Partey up to now, we ship considered one of our physios together with him to make sure that he’s taken care of correctly (no disrespect to any of Norway’s medical workers btw).
My intestine feeling says it’s a nasty concept actually. Possibly that’s fully fear-based on my half. He might simply as simply decide up a knock in coaching, however until there’s a really strict settlement on what number of minutes he can play, I’d be very cautious about letting this occur. However when it comes proper all the way down to it, if there must be an edict from a participant’s membership about proscribing his involvement for his nation, then he’s most likely not prepared.
After a poor run of kind final season, the workforce headed for some heat climate coaching in Dubai, after which we gained 16 of 18 within the Premier League, dropping simply as soon as in what was a unprecedented run of kind. There’s no scope for doing that now, after all, however the supervisor was requested if there was something he might do to shift the ambiance. His response:
Yeah, we don’t know the place that clicked. As a result of if as an alternative of going to Dubai, we’re giving every week off and also you see the workforce in Las Vegas for one week, smashing the evening, we come again the next week and we lose two video games in a row, I’m in my home. I’m sacked.
In the event that they go to Las Vegas, they try this and we win three in a row, you’re telling me now, ship the boys to Las Vegas as a result of they’re going to kill it afterwards. I don’t know!
However on a extra severe word, he continued:
We’ll do one thing totally different. Ever day, I feel it’s making an attempt to do one thing that helps the temper, the vitality, the idea on that workforce, on that gamers to be one of the best model of ourselves. That’s what we strive each single day with out exception.
Let’s hope no matter antics he’s as much as this weekend on the coaching floor, whether or not it’s pickpockets, lemons, music blaring from audio system, three babies standing on every others shoulders sporting an overcoat to disguise themselves as a really tall and weirdly formed man, it helps the workforce get a end result at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Elsewhere, there’s some fascinating stuff from Opta in regards to the quantity of yellow playing cards being proven within the Premier League this season:
We’re seeing a median of 5.1 yellow playing cards dished out per sport. Once more, it won’t sound like heaps extra on a single-game foundation, however it’s a rise of 21.1% on the earlier all-time excessive. Extrapolate that over a full season and final time period’s complete of 1,602 yellow playing cards turns into 1,940.
A yellow playing cards complete of 1,940 would additionally mark a 41.2% enhance on the 2022-23 season, and but, it nonetheless solely requires a participant to get 5 yellow playing cards within the first 19 matchdays.
There may be a lot dialogue of referees, and far of it revolves across the high quality and consistency of the selections they make. As Arsenal followers our senses are significantly heightened, as a result of with out happening any highway of conspiracy or something like that, I feel we are able to genuinely level to choices made in opposition to us which have by no means been seen once more. The 2 pink playing cards this season, for instance; Takehiro Tomiyasu’s pink card in opposition to Crystal Palace; Gabriel Martinelli’s double-yellow inside 7 seconds; Granit Xhaka being despatched off for a deliberate journey, however nothing greater than that.
We now have been scarred, no query. The broader level for me is that I can’t escape the sensation that Howard Webb has made a acutely aware resolution to make officers stars of the Premier League soap-opera. Not a single weekend goes by with out considered one of his referees being entrance and centre, and if it doesn’t occur on the pitch, you will be certain VAR will intervene, for occasionally spurious causes, to make sure we’re all speaking about PGMOL.
He has his personal TV present now; he seems on The Overlap on Sky Sports activities described as ‘legendary’; broadcast cameras reduce to him within the stands when a contentious resolution occurs at a sport he’s attending. That is very deliberate. The person charged with the duty of a elementary a part of soccer sees it as a chance to make himself extra seen. I can’t say for certain if he’s hungry, even grasping, for fame, however it certain appears prefer it.
As for the stat about yellow playing cards, if this was making the sport higher, you possibly can don’t have any complaints. As a substitute, we see gamers proceed to get away with acts of harmful, violent conduct, whereas pink playing cards are issued for trivia – and all of the whereas they attempt to gaslight us with nonsense about choices being the ‘letter of the legislation’. On a weekend when it’s Michael Oliver in control of us once more, I’d recommend Arsenal followers buckle up for what feels just like the inevitable, however hopefully we are able to play nicely sufficient to make no matter nonsense he will get up a side-issue tomorrow.
Lastly, Arsenal Girls beat Brighton 5-0 final evening, and you will discover all of the motion, aim clips, post-match response and so forth, over on Arseblog Information. It’s also possible to join Tim’s weekly e-newsletter right here.
We now have our Chelsea preview podcast over on Patreon now when you’re searching for one thing to hearken to. You possibly can join simply $6 monthly, and there’s an annual subscription possibility too which provides you instantaneous entry to all the things with a ten% low cost. Have an amazing Saturday of us.
